TRIESTE - Inter have been beaten at the Stadio Nereo Rocco losing two players through injury in the process. Both Gargano and Nagatomo - the latter only just back to full fitness - hobbled off in Trieste, while Walter Samuel was used a makeshift striker.
The sides went into the break with the score at 0-0. Cambiasso and Rocchi combined beautifully on 14 minutes before the Argentine lifted the ball cleverly over Agazzi, only to see it come back off the upright. Rocchi and Alvarez each had a number of attempts in a fairly open first half. Cagliari nearly took the lead through Ibarbo but Pereira made an excellent covering challenge.
Rocchi went on a wonderful run after the interval, beating three players before testing Agazzi with a stinging left foot drive. Alvarez then went close for the Nerazzurri, before the home side took the lead: referee Celi awarded a highly dubious penalty after deciding that there had been contact between Silvestre and Pinilla. The Chilean got up to slot home the penalty himself, sending Handanovic the wrong way. Pinilla then doubled the lead with a quarter of an hour to play. He burst into the penalty area after neat approach play by Cabrera and - despite a heavy touch - poked the the ball past Handanovic into the roof of the net. Ibarbo hit the crossbar on 80 minutes but it finished Cagliari 2-0 Inter, with the Nerazzurri stuck on 50 points in the table.
Cagliari 2-0 Inter (HT: 0-0)
Scorers: Pinilla 63 (pen), 76.
Cagliari: 1
Agazzi; 24 Perico, 15 Rossettini, 13 Astori, 29 Murru; 21 Dessena (Pinilla 57), 5 Conti, 20 Ekdal (Casarini 86); 7 Cossu (Cabrera 7); 19 Thiago Ribeiro, 23 Ibarbo.
Subs not used: 26 Anedda, 3 Ariaudo, 18 Nenè, 27 Sau.
Coach: Ivo Pulga.
Inter: 1
Handanovic; 4 Zanetti, 6 Silvestre, 40 Juan Jesus, 31 Pereira; 21
Gargano (Kuzmanovic 53), 10 Kovacic, 19 Cambiasso (Nagatomo 67, Samuel 75); 11 Alvarez, 14 Guarin; 18 Rocchi.
Subs not used: 27 Belec, 30 Carrizo, 23 Ranocchia, 42 Jonathan, 24 Benassi, 60 Belloni, 45 Forte.
Coach: Andrea Stramaccioni.
Referee: Domenico Celi (Bari).
Booked: Juan Jesus 9, Conti 32, Pereira 45+1, Silvestre 62, Murru 72, Pinilla 79.
Added time: 1+3 minutes.
